This invention relates generally to the field of imagery and more particularly to magnetic resonance imaging using a reduced number of echo acquisitions.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (xe2x80x9cMRIxe2x80x9d) is a widely used imaging technique. For example, MRI may be used to obtain an image of a patient""s tumor, lesion, or other internal feature without performing invasive medical procedures. Recent advances in MRI make possible new medical procedures, such as magnetic resonance guided intervention procedures and patient interactive diagnosis. However, the practical application of these procedures using MRI has been limited because of slow imaging speed.
Imaging speed depends on the number of sensors used to acquire image information and the time required to perform a required repetition of scans to produce an image of acceptable resolution. A number of different MRI techniques have been developed to improve imaging speed by increasing the number of sensors and/or reducing the time of scan repetition by increasing the rate of scan. However, the points to which these measures may be taken to improve the overall imaging speed are limited for a number of reasons. For example, as the number of sensors increases, the difficulty of decoupling the sensors from one another for independent data collection also increases. Up to sixteen sensors may have been successfully used to simultaneously acquire image information. As the scan rate is increased, the probability of bio-hazards, such as unintended neural stimulation and patient heating due to the pulse power of the radio frequency signal, may also increase. These limitations have hindered further improvement of imaging speed for MRI.
According to one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for magnetic resonance imaging is provided. The apparatus includes a detection surface defined by a plurality of sensors. Each of the sensors is operable to receive image information concerning a particular portion of a target surface by substantially confining to the each of the sensors magnetic flux associated with the particular portion of the target surface. The detection surface is operable to acquire all image information for generating a magnetic resonance image resembling the target surface by receiving, at the each of the sensors, a single echo signal from the particular portion of the target surface that correspondingly underlies the each of the sensors. The magnetic resonance image has a resolution of at least sixty-four pixels by a number of pixels equal to M. M is an integer.
Some embodiments of the invention provide numerous technical advantages. Some embodiments may benefit from some, none, or all of these advantages. For example, according to one embodiment, an acceptable magnetic resonance image may be produced using fewer number of scans by employing a number of sensors equal to one dimension of the image resolution that is deemed acceptable for a particular use. In another embodiment, an image of a surface that is parallel to a detection surface may be obtained by arranging sixty-four or more sensors side-by-side to define a detection surface that is approximately parallel to a target surface. In another embodiment, an image having an acceptable resolution may be generated using only a single echo signal acquisition by arranging sixty-four or more decoupled sensors in an array to define a detection surface.
Other technical advantages may be readily ascertained by one of skill in the art.